Say it loud and there's music playing
by Tribbith
Summary: Kurt warns Finn that Rachel might be pressuring him into choosing a future that he doesn't want, but looking back through their relationship, he's pretty sure she's only ever been supportive; there's a reason she's the best girlfriend ever.


**After the adorable tyre shop scene, this one-shot popped out; reviews would be wonderful if you get the chance!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or Finchel, though not through lack of trying**

Finn knows that something's wrong because at nine o'clock there's no sign of his brother, and his body has gradually become accustomed to warm milk at the same time every night. It's not that he's lazy or anything, 'cause now that he's figured out how to heat it without making it curdle, Finn's fine with doing it himself. They have a routine, that's all, and Kurt is always the one who warms the milk and joins Finn in his bedroom, and only when something's bothering him does that change.

The last time Finn brought milk to sit with Kurt was the day of Regionals, when the Warblers had failed to make the cut. He'd tried to put on a brave face by being happy for his brother, but it was obvious that he was disappointed that he wouldn't be going to New York, and Finn had done most of the talking, rambling on about a pigeon he'd seen that had only had one eye.

Therefore, he doesn't need to ask if something's up because it's 9:05pm and there's still no sign of Kurt, so he pulls himself off of his bed, throws down the book for English class he was trying to read, and trudges down to the kitchen, where his mom is pouring out some popcorn.

"Hey honey."

"Hey mom."

They share a brief hug before she joins Burt in the living room to watch some crappy romantic comedy (he can tell that's what they're doing since his step dad keeps sighing and complaining), and then he occupies himself with the milk, being careful not to spill any.

By 9:21pm, after he's cleaned up his mess (he accidentally burnt himself then knocked over the pan in response), Finn bangs on Kurt's door with his forehead 'cause his hands are full, and when he hears a soft grunt, he pushes his weight against the handle until he stumbles in and frowns. There are tissues everywhere and there isn't any music playing, and Kurt _always_ has some Broadway soundtrack playing in the background.

"Hey man, you forgot about the milk." He closes the door and sets a glass beside his brother, and waits half heartedly for some kind of thank you. If Kurt smiles and thanks him for being so thoughtful, it means things aren't so bad (one time he actually just forgot what time it was). If Kurt takes a sip then nods, it means things are pretty rough, but it's nothing that he can't handle. If Kurt doesn't acknowledge Finn or the milk, it means it's serious.

Kurt turns away from the glass and stares at the ceiling, and Finn grimaces, 'cause he's not so great with drama and stuff. Still, Kurt's his brother, and he's going to try his best to be there for him, and so he sinks down on the end of the bed and drinks from his own milk, gingerly running his tongue over the top of his lip to get rid of his moustache.

"So, this school year's been pretty eventful so far, right?" No response, so Finn takes a handful of chips from a bag he brought with him (and he's extremely careful not to drop any crumbs 'cause Kurt's pretty particular when it comes to that). "I mean, first Quinn's a skank or whatever, and then she's not, first Santana's in the glee club, and then she's not, Coach Sylvester is on a mad rampage, but she kinda always is, and-"

"It's about the musical."

Finn purses his lips and nods because Rachel's been talking a lot about the same thing, and he's heard bits and pieces about what might be bothering Kurt.

"Want some chips?"

Kurt takes a few and munches quietly at them while Finn twiddles his thumbs, 'cause their lady chats usually consist of Kurt doing the talking while Finn nods and makes encouraging noises. It's not that he's uncomfortable or anything, but it's just the way things are, you know?

"Wanna talk about it?"

"I auditioned for Tony, the male lead." Kurt takes a handful more and washes a few down with his milk while Finn tries to remember which musical is which. Before Rachel, he'd watched a total of three musicals in his entire life (if you didn't count classic Disney movies and stuff), and since he started dating her, he's sure he's seen about five hundred or something.

West Side Story, West Side Story... is that the one with the drug addicts and stuff? No, that's Annie... maybe.

He frowns and tries to think who Rachel auditioned for and oh yeah, Maria, Tony sings a song about Maria, and right, okay, West Side Story is the one about the gangs.

"How did it go?"

"Excellent, actually," he says with a quiet huff. "Coach Beiste said it was beautiful, Miss Pillsbury was cheering, and Artie seemed very excited about the entire performance."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

Kurt rolls his eyes, and Finn can't help it, okay? Sometimes he thinks before he speaks, but he's kind of confused.

"Yes, but..." Kurt sits forward and absentmindedly wipes a few crumbs onto his pillow (he must being feeling _really_ lousy) before he stares at Finn in a really strange, disconnected way. "If Rachel was cast as Maria, and I was cast as Tony, we'd be playing the leads together. How would you feel about that?"

"Is this a trick question?" Finn asks cautiously, and Kurt shakes his head briefly. "Well... I dunno, I'd be happy for you both, 'cause you're my brother and she's my girlfriend, and it would be kind of perfect, actually." He notices the small smile on his lips, and Finn feels like he's making progress.

"How about if the male lead was Blaine?"

Finn scrunches his nose up, though not purposefully. He hasn't talked to Kurt about it, but he's been having a hard time dealing with Blaine being everywhere. It's not that he doesn't like the kid, 'cause he definitely warmed to him over the summer (he practically lived at their house for most of it), but he's not comfortable with the fact that he always wants to be the centre of attention. Finn knows that he doesn't do it on purpose since he was just _used_ to that kind of treatment with the Warblers, but he's not the only one with a good voice, and he thinks Blaine needs to be reminded of that.

That's for another day though, and he tries to remember what the original question was. Oh, yeah, Blaine being the lead.

"I wouldn't like it," he admits, and he waits for Kurt to look surprised and slap him or something, but he just nods, like he expected the answer.

"And why is that?"

"Having to watch Blaine pretend to be in love with my girlfriend?" Finn grits his teeth at the very thought (and images of their kiss at Rachel's party flood his senses) and downs the rest of his milk in one. "I wouldn't like it, especially when they'd have to kiss and stuff."

"But it wouldn't bother you if it was me?"

"No," he says with a laugh. "Because you're, like, Kurt, and it's kinda obvious you're gay. With Blaine it's... I mean, crap, I didn't think, I-"

"It's okay," Kurt whispers, and as tears flood his eyes, Finn feels like an idiot. How didn't he see this coming? Rachel had told him all about the Romeo and Juliet thing (everyone had laughed at him, even _Rachel_, and how had he forgotten about that?), and it all suddenly makes sense.

Kurt doesn't think he's masculine enough to play a straight guy.

"Kurt, I'm sorry, I really am. I'm sure you'd make an awesome Tony."

"No, honestly, it's fine." He rubs quickly at his eyes and grabs a few more chips, and while Finn sits and squirms uncomfortably, he takes a tissue and blows his nose. "Now that we've dealt with that issue, tell me about yourself. What were you and Rachel talking about at dad's shop?"

He's not sure whether to change the subject back to the Tony fiasco, but Kurt's giving him an out, and so Finn decides to take it. "Oh, you know, we were just constantly saying how much we love each other."

"That wouldn't surprise me; you're both very touchy feely this time around."

Finn grins and shrugs as he helps himself to the remains of the chips. "It's awesome, we're awesome, and we were just talking about future plans and stuff."

"Oh really?" One of Kurt's eyebrows raises in curiosity, and at least there are no more tears. "That's very mature of you. Was Rachel being supportive of your options?"

Finn licks his lips and nods a little. "Yeah, she was. I told her that I'm still undecided, 'cause college sounds good but so does working at the shop, and she was just saying that I'm better than that, and that NYADA might be an option and stuff."

Kurt stiffens and his eyes narrow, and this time he really has no clue what he's said to offend him, and so Finn just licks his fingers and rubs them on his pants to dry them off.

"NYADA?"

"Yeah." He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly while he waits for Kurt to say something else, but he doesn't. "Why, don't you think I'm good enough?"

"It's not that," he says shortly, and when he reaches a hand out, Finn braces himself for a punch or something. Instead, Kurt rests it on his shoulder and squeezes him briefly, and Finn isn't sure what's going on. "I believe you're good enough to be whatever you want, but don't forget that it's _your_ decision, Finn. Rachel wants to go to New York, and while she may want you to accompany her, don't let her pressure you into making the wrong choices." He removes his hand and sits back on his bed, toying with his phone (from here, Finn can see that he has six missed calls from Blaine) before he sighs. "Do you mind if we cut our chat short tonight? I need to do some thinking."

"No, that's cool, so do I. Talk to you later dude." Finn grabs the empty glasses and smiles briefly at Kurt before he goes downstairs and stacks them in the dishwasher, his head spinning a little while he does so. He can hear his mom laughing, and maybe even Burt too, and after grabbing a couple of apples, he heads back upstairs and flops down on his bed. He does have some thinking to do; is Rachel trying to pressure him into what she wants?

He closes his eyes to try and think of all the other times she was supportive, and he figures that once he's done, he can call her and talk it over.

i) _You're better than all of them_

Things shouldn't be so complicated, and until Mr Schue found that pot in his locker, they really weren't. He was the quarterback, he was dating the head cheerleader, he was popular and he was happy. He's still all of those things, but glee club has changed everything, and now it feels like those things that he liked before aren't really enough. Things _should_ be normal again, 'cause Mr Schuester's leaving and he doesn't have to be part of the group anymore, but if anything, he feels more conflicted than ever, because he's felt the music in his heart and in his veins, and it's hard to just let go of that, even if it was only a brief phase.

It's not just the faint bruises on his body from the paintballs that make him feel different, either, and for whatever reason, he can't get Rachel Berry out of his head. She's crazy and self centred and it wouldn't surprise him if she turned out to be a professional stalker, but there's something about her that makes him feel weird. It's not the same as when he sees Quinn and he tries to picture her naked (it's not a very clear image and it doesn't do much for him), but it's strong, maybe even stronger, and even if he can't explain it, it's too hard to ignore. Maybe it's her huge eyes, and maybe it's her huge talent, but her name crops up in his thoughts a lot, and he can't snap out of it.

She corners him at his locker one day and he thinks about running the other way because the stalker thing? She's totally good at it.

"Didn't see you at glee club today," she says curtly, and she has this insane ability to make him feel guilty for skipping out on the one thing that threatens to ruin his rep.

"Is that still happening?" he asks meekly. How are they supposed to carry on without Mr Schue? And like, why would they want to?

"I've taken over."

He can't help but smile a little at that. "Oh." She has some balls, or like, lady balls, and it doesn't really surprise him that she's really driven to do something like that. It's crazy; he's a big shot leader and everything, but he's kind of laid back and he just goes with the flow, you know? But Rachel's got ambition, and he respects that.

"I'm interim director, but I expect the position will become permanent."

He's about to ask what an interior decorator has to do with singing when Quinn appears and questions what the two of them are doing, and again, he's laid back, and he doesn't have a response to that. He looks lamely at Rachel, and she makes up a lie about a science project (and she doesn't take her eyes off of him, which freaks him out a little), and Quinn buys it and leaves once they've made plans. Christ Crusaders doesn't sound like a lot of fun, but if he's good, she might let him touch her butt for more than five seconds.

He suddenly remembers that Rachel is standing in front of him, and it's probably inappropriate to be thinking about girl butts, but then he thinks about Rachel's butt, and she does have a pretty fine butt.

"Look, I should go. I can't do glee anymore, it conflicts with-"

"Your reputation?" She nails it in one. "You're really got something, Finn, and you're throwing it away."

"I-I'm gonna be late." He can't stand and listen to this. When Mr Schue confronted him about the Chronic Lady, that was bad enough, 'cause he hates to think that people see him as a disappointment. But teachers are one thing, and a small girl with huge eyes and small boobs and an obsession with herself is another; she doesn't have the right to make him feel lousy... does she? It's not like she _knows_ him, and she can't just appear and tell him that he's being a douche.

"You can't keep worrying about what people think, Finn; you're better than all of them."

He expects her to keep talking, but she gives him a slight smile and then leaves him with that bombshell; you're better than all of them. At what exactly? At football? Maybe; the rest of the team sucks, so it's not hard to be the best. At being popular? Maybe; he just goes along for the ride, and it's not as if he puts extra effort in to stay on top.

At singing? There's no maybes there. He knows he's average and stuff 'cause before glee, he only ever sung in the shower, and seriously, _come on_, even if Rachel is certifiably nuts, she's the most talented person he's ever met. She needs to work on the crazy eyes, but her voice is insanely amazing and she has a presence on the stage that literally blows his mind.

What if she really is saying that? What if she, Rachel Berry, is telling him that he's _actually_ better than everyone else? What if she thinks he's a good singer?

He doesn't know what to think, but Rachel's words ring in his ears as he helps save Artie, and when Don't Stop Believin' plays across the field, he wonders if she's lying to him.

He can't think of any reason why she would be.

ii) _You're really, really talented_

He still has mixed feelings about the glee club. There are highs and lows to being part of the group, the high being their performance of DSB, which made his heart race for an hour after they'd finished, and the low being this; everything else. Mr Schue's cool and stuff, but Le Freak is a pretty awful song, never mind the crappy dance moves. He has trouble remembering the lyrics and dance steps at the same time, and he had to apologise a hundred times over when he accidentally kicked Artie's leg (the kid didn't feel it but that's not really the point).

That's why he kinda jumped at the chance to help Rachel with the flyers, 'cause any way out of this mess would be a welcome relief. He thought it would be awkward at first, just spending time with her on her own, but she did most of the talking, and he just nodded and listened, even if he didn't understand half the time.

Course, then they have to go and get caught, and he feels bad for letting down Mr Schue (is it bad that he feels worse about his rep going down the drain?).

"It's official; I'm a dead man."

He starts walking (he needs to borrow a shovel from the janitor so he can dig his own grave), not really expecting Rachel to say anything, but as always, she has a speech on cue, though he tries to block her out at first. It's not that he doesn't like her, because the more time that he spends with her, the more she grows on him (singing with her was out of this world, even if he's not sure why). It's just that he's really not in the mood to hear anymore plans about how they can get out of this because he's pretty sure they can't.

"Look, I know you're nervous," she starts, and he stops himself from rolling his eyes. He's not nervous, because that would mean that he's not sure of the outcome, right? He's _definitely_ sure what'll happen; the football team carry eggs in their pockets at all times in case of emergencies, and he knows that he won't be spared from the shelly massacre. "But you're really, really talented."

He blushes at the unexpected compliment and laughs as he tells her to cut it out 'cause honestly, he's caught off guard. Not including his mom, she's actually the first person to ever tell him that, and considering she's really, really talented, it makes him feel all giddy and stuff.

"I mean, maybe it'll all be okay."

She has an enthusiasm about her that rubs off on him, and when she gives him a huge smile, he smiles back (and he checks out her boobs too, but that's not really important). Then she's asking if he wants to rehearse, and he's about to say yeah, sure, let's spend as much time as possible together, but he remembers he has a Celibacy Club meeting, and that involves Quinn, and he definitely shouldn't be staring at Rachel's boobs.

He hurries away, trying to make himself feel guilty, but she called him talented, really _really_ talented, and he has a feeling that maybe it will all be okay after all.

iii) _You're a really good actor, Finn_

He hates himself right now for a whole number of reasons. He shouldn't have knocked Quinn up for a start, and he definitely shouldn't be using Rachel for his own benefit, but what choice does he have? If he tells her the truth, she's gonna be totally pissed because he thinks she might have a crush on him, and he knows she has a beef with Quinn already. This is the only way he can make everything work, and once Rachel is back in glee, he'll have a better shot at making something of himself.

He doesn't know what to feel though. Instead of it being a chore, helping out with her line reading and everything, Finn's having fun, even if he doesn't understand what the play is about. Being around Rachel is easy and comfortable, and if he can be honest, he likes hearing her read her lines 'cause she has a special voice she uses when she's in character. It's still her, obviously, but like her presence when she's singing, she has a presence when she's acting too, and he wonders how one tiny girl can be good at everything.

"I'm sleeping with him," she says dramatically, and he grins and nods.

"So am I." He frowns, and though it isn't part of the play, he tells her that it's weird, 'cause yeah, he really has no idea what's going on.

"That's Mr Ryerson's favourite line," she says, and he looks down at the script to try and find their spot again. How is Mr Ryerson teaching again anyway? Didn't he like, molest a student or something? Still, this is McKinley, so it wouldn't surprise him if that was true.

"You're a really good actor, Finn."

That compliment, like the one in the hallway, catches him completely off guard. Quinn only says nice things when she wants something, but Rachel says them because she's nice, just like her comments. She thinks he's a good actor? He doesn't know what to make of that, 'cause he's never really given acting much thought, but it's cool to hear it all the same, and his stomach twists a little with nerves.

He doesn't know what to do with any of this. The really talented girl thinks he's really talented too, and the really good actress thinks he's a really good actor. He's never felt so awesome, quite frankly, and he just doesn't know what to do about it (he should probably start by not using said girl, but he doesn't have a choice, and it's not like he wants to hurt her).

iv) _You're so kind and open_

Rachel has this amazing ability to go from one thing to another without warning, and if he can be honest, Finn was hoping for a quick make out in the choir room as a reward for how awesome their duet was (seriously, they _killed_ it, and there's no way they won't win).

But then out of nowhere, Rachel says she's not a nice person, that she's selfish, and his smile fades with his euphoria at being kickass. Words aren't his strong suit and he doesn't want to make things worse, so he sits down and watches absentmindedly as the band pack away their instruments.

"That fact is, I'm only really generous if there's something in it for me."

"Yeah, but I still like you." He should probably go with 'that's not true! You can be selfless and you're amazing and I love you Rachel, so much', but he says the first thing that comes to mind, and at least she knows that he's always here for her, right? Despite her apparent flaws, he still likes, no, _loves_ her, and so it shouldn't matter what anyone else thinks.

"You- You're so kind, and open." There she goes again, and his lips quirk in a smile and even though he never actually forgot, he remembers why he worships this girl. She isn't selfish, 'cause if she was, she wouldn't be able to make him feel so good about himself. She probably has no idea that his heart actually skips a beat when she says nice things to him, and she probably has no idea that he still questions why someone as perfect as her would ever want to be with him, but he definitely isn't complaining.

Kind and open; she's so awesome. Kindness is underrated, and though he doesn't want to brag or anything, Finn reckons that yeah, he probably is kind. He tries hard to be nice to people since his mom (or the rabbit from Bambi, he can't remember) told him that if he didn't have anything nice to say, he shouldn't say anything at all, and so he always made sure to try and be nice to other people, even if they didn't appreciate it.

Open though? He thinks briefly of his first time with Santana, but he pushes that thought away because this is a good moment, and he doesn't want to spoil it with thoughts of _that _night.

"Well, it's made me want to be a better person."

And then she tells him about her crazy yet rational plan, and he doesn't mind so much that they're gonna forfeit a free dinner because she kisses him and she thinks he's kind and he just really loves her.

v) _You're the hottest boy in school_

When he's running lines with Rachel in the auditorium, Finn thinks back to the time he helped her (or manipulated her, whatever) last year, and how he didn't understand the play. This time though? It's, like, a hundred times worse, and he's actually _in_ it, as one of the lead characters, and he needs to be able to understand it to, you know, be in the damn thing.

"Alright, so then they take off our wet clothes and we do the rest of our scene in our underwear."

What_?_

He figures he's been thinking about sex for too long. He's been dating Rachel for a few months now and she's only let him get to second base a handful of times (speaking of handful, her boobs are _awesome_), which is more than he'd expected, and yet it's still not quite enough. He knows she wants to wait until she's twenty five and everything but he's still a guy, and it's not just the whole blue balls thing; he wants _Rachel_. She dresses in short skirts and tight jeans and she makes breathy moaning sounds when they make out and it all just adds up to a huge case of 'I want to do you so bad'.

Scratch that; he just wants to love her, and though he'll wait, it's still pretty annoying.

So yeah, that has to be the reason he just imagined her talking about underwear, right? He can't imagine Rachel being comfortable on stage in just her bra and panties (he shivers internally at the thought of her in so little) because hell, who _would_ be comfortable with that?

"Wait, I'm in my tighty-whities?"

"Yeah."

Oh, okay, so he didn't make it up.

"I can't be on stage in front of the whole school in my tighty-whities; they're gonna be able to see my whole... business."

He had a vague idea of how this would eventually play out, and among the countless scenarios in his head, this was definitely _not_ his first choice on how they'd see each other in their underwear for the first time.

"Come on, it'll just be like going to the pool."

This definitely isn't his first choice about broaching the topic of his insecurities either (as lame as it sounds, he imagined it happening the first time they were intimate, and he'd be all shy and stuff, and she'd find it adorable, and then she'd take her time to prove to him that he had nothing to be shy about).

"I wear a swim shirt at the pool," he says quickly. "I tell everybody it's because I burn easily but look-" He sucks in a breath and he knows he can be honest with Rachel, even if it's difficult. Anyone else he can expect to laugh at him, but not Rachel, and so he just admits it, regardless of being embarrassed. "I know I'm a big athlete and it's not manly or anything, but I'm kinda insecure about how I look."

"Come on, you just... you know, you have a different body type. I don't look like Brittany or Santana but you still think I'm hot, right?"

Duh. He doesn't like that she's always comparing herself to the Cheerios (like they have anything on his girl Rachel), but she's not just hot, she's, she's _perfect_, and he loves that she's small and he loves that she has a different body type too, 'cause it makes them suited for each other, somehow.

"Yeah, of course."

"Then you're just going to have to trust me that you're the hottest guy in school, okay?"

If she wasn't so busy, he'd make the hug last longer, much much longer, because even if he has a long way to go in accepting who he is and what he looks like, knowing that she thinks he's hot? It's awesome, and he can tell she's not just saying that to humour him.

Maybe he can convince her to have a dress rehearsal in her bedroom sometime.

vi) _You're really good, Finn_

One minute he thinks he's going to sign up, and the next minute he changes his mind. You know what sucks, apart from no one having his back when Jesse was shooting him down? Quinn should be here with him, encouraging him and telling him that he has what it takes to be the lead vocalist, but she isn't, and he actually has no idea where the hell she is.

He sees Rachel signing up though, and he just keeps on walking because she deserves it anyway, and he doesn't want to compete with her, not when she wants it so much more than he does.

He knows her well enough by now that she's not just going to let him get away with it, but it still comes as a surprise when she tries to tell him that he's really good. He doesn't understand why she's so adamant that he tries out, because that would make him her competition.

He feels this insane _longing_ in his heart at the thought because he remembers when she said she was selfish. This though? This is proof that she's anything but that. She's willing to endanger her chance to be a soloist just so she can be his friend, and he briefly considers signing up.

He doesn't know when it happened though, but Rachel's compliments don't have the same effect on him anymore. Maybe it happened when she broke his heart, or maybe he never truly believed them in the first place, but when she says that he's really good, he doesn't feel what he's supposed to feel.

"I'm Lima good, not New York City good. R-Rachel, I'm sorry, I'm not auditioning."

He goes before she has the chance to change his mind because, come on, he has to face it; he's really not that good at all.

vii) _You wrote an amazing song, Finn_

They're just about to perform on the stage in New York when Rachel walks over to him, a big smile on her face. She seems incredibly chipper considering she broke his heart the night before, but he guesses she took Patti LuPone's words to heart, about not giving up and all.

He half expects her to say break a leg, but she doesn't.

"You wrote an amazing song, Finn; I didn't know you had it in you."

Another compliment that doesn't quite reach its mark. Yeah, it's cool that she likes the song, and he's proud of it too, but when he wants to hear that she loves him, it's not as powerful as it should be.

"Who cares about the song? What I don't understand is all you've ever wanted is for us to be together, and I'm basically standing here, _begging_ for you, and suddenly you're not interested."

"I am interested; _more_ than interested. This is my dream, being here in New York. I'm not gonna let anyone or anything keep me from it."

Her praise of his song made no real impact, but that? That fucking stings, because how can she believe he'd ever hold her back? He knows that this is her dream, has known it from the first time they met, and he's not stupid enough, or selfish enough, to stop her from achieving that.

She says that she loves him, but combined with the rest of her speech, she might as well have said that she doesn't give a crap.

"There's nothing you can do or say that's going to change my mind about it."

They stand by the curtains, ready for their big entrance, and as he looks over at her, he manages the tiniest of smiles, because actually, fuck it, he's not gonna give up. He's come this far, the dumb jock in New York City, and if she really loves him, he can do this.

Besides, this song's for her, and he's better than all of them, remember?

He's gonna prove it.

viii) _You're really good at that_

When he told Rachel that he was working at the tyre shop after school with Burt, Finn had expected her to go home and call him later, so it was kind of an awesome surprise when she walked towards him in her cute, clean dress and fancy shoes. He looks like a bit of a mess in his coveralls and grease, but she doesn't seem repulsed, and she tells him that she wants to help out if she can.

He can't stop laughing for the first fifteen minutes 'cause after finding out that she can't tell the difference between a wrench and a spirit level, she begged him to teach her all of the names, and he did his best to explain them all.

Finally, they get into a comfortable rhythm, and when he asks her for a lug nut and a wrench, she doesn't hand him the wrong thing.

"You're really good at that, whatever it is you're doing over there."

"Well thanks for helping me out."

Her compliments totally work again. Even in something so dumb, like helping out at his step dad's shop, she's always so supportive, and she actually sounds like she's in awe when she tells him that he's good. He grins from ear to ear 'cause they're so in sync this year, and they're stronger than ever, and Rachel doesn't even care when his greasy fingers meet hers.

It's lame and stuff, but he wonders if she thinks he's more manly when he's working. Over summer they spent a lot of time talking about their feelings and watching romantic comedies and cuddling together for hours on end, and yeah, sure, that was all super awesome (even the movies, even though he'd never admit it), but now he's in his element. Combined with Rachel keeping him company? He loves working here, and it doesn't seem so awful when he pictures working at the shop permanently.

ix) _You're really talented_

He hasn't talked to Rachel about it though, and maybe last year she would have thrown a huge tantrum, but this year he has a feeling she'll be cool about it. They've talked about a lot of things, and the subject of New York definitely came up, and in the same way that she understood that he'd never hold her back from her dreams, she seems to have come to the same conclusion about his, so he thinks it'll be okay when he spills the beans.

She suggests auditioning for the role of Tony in the school musical, and though a small part of him wants to, he doesn't have the time, not with football and glee and his job and booty camp (he was pretty mortified at first but at least he's not the only one doing it).

"I don't want you to give up on what makes you most special. You know, you're really talented, talented enough to get into NYADA if you applied."

She says the magic words, and like last year, and like the year before, she just comes out with these compliments that give him butterflies (yeah yeah, but she totally does), except this time around, even though it makes him feel really awesome, he has to be careful. This time around, Rachel has something to gain from making him feel like that, 'cause if she can convince him to go to New York, she won't be on her own.

He finally tells her about the possibility of staying in Lima to work at Burt's, and sure, he's always dreamt of getting out of this dump, but now he can see some kind of a future. It might not be as glamorous as what Rachel has in store, but that's his life in a nutshell, right? She's literally a shining star, and everything's bright and exciting, and he's just, he's _there_, existing, and there are definitely worse places he could be working.

Besides, if he saves up long enough, college could always be an option in the future, and by that time, he might want to go to New York too, just a couple of years later when he has a bit of work experience under his belt and money in his pocket.

"To stay here, work for Burt, I mean... would that be so bad?"

"No, not if it made you happy."

Like he thought, Rachel is really cool about it all, and he feels guilty for thinking that she could be using him.

She places a hand on his arm as he grabs a cloth to clean his hands (he's almost done for the night and he really wants to kiss her for being so awesome). "But I don't think it would. You're better than that. You might not know it, but I do."

And he has a split second flashback to the time she told him he was better than all of them, and it's insane how much Rachel believes in him. She's never given up on him, has she? Even when they were apart, she had so much faith in his ability to be good at something, and as he looks down at her, this perfect girl who takes such great care of his heart, he feels so overwhelmed by love.

"You're the best girlfriend ever." He figures he's allowed to kiss her now, and as he leans in, he sees her scrunch up her face and his stomach dips a little.

"You have grease on your nose."

"Oh." He's about to wipe it off when she dismisses it and pulls him in for a kiss, and she's about to go in for another when Burt interrupts the moment, but they have plenty of time to catch up when he's all cleaned up and done. "Meet me by my truck and I'll be out in five," he whispers, and while Burt's occupied with Kurt, she kisses him again, brushing her tongue over his lip, and he makes a mad dash for the bathroom so they can continue where they left off.

**Glee!**

It's nearly midnight when Finn's done thinking. That's insane, isn't it? He's literally been sitting on his bed all night long, trying to decide whether Rachel's pushing him to be someone he isn't.

His conclusion? Yeah, she is pushing him, but in the best way possible. There's a difference between pushing him to be the best, and pressuring him into something he doesn't want to do, and all along, Rachel's been his own personal cheerleader, rooting him on in everything he chooses to do. Whether it's singing or acting or self esteem issues, she's always been there to remind him how special he is, and frankly, he needs that. Dating her is a constant reminder that he needs to be the best, 'cause if he's not, how is he supposed to support her when she's a huge star?

He thinks back to what Kurt said, and he instantly knows that his brother will apologise tomorrow for that comment. He's upset about the musical, and he gets that, and he also gets that he has the best girlfriend to ever exist.

After booty camp with Mr Schue, Finn's feeling even more confident, and though he's never really noticed before, so many people believe in him. It's hard to explain the rush of pride that swept through his body when he'd completed the dance routine because everyone in the room was happy for him, and damn, they really are a proper family now, aren't they? He knows that with people like that in his life, he can achieve anything, and so with a huge smile, he sends Rachel a text, knowing that she'll tell him off for contacting her so late (though he hopes she'll be nice when she says what he has to say).

His phone bleeps not a minute later, and with bated breath, he opens the message and laughs out loud.

"_Tomorrow I'm going to come over, and we're going to practice your Tony audition until the early hours of the morning if we have to. With our undeniable chemistry, there is no way that the two of us won't get the leads. I'm so proud of you! I love you Finn xxx"_

It's gonna be a lot of hard work, but he's used to a challenge; come on, he's dating Rachel Berry.

**Glee!**

"Again."

"_Rach."_

"Again."

"Okay."

He's tired and hungry and he's been practicing this song for nearly five hours now, but every time he sees the determination in her eyes, Finn knows that it'll be worth it. Besides, though he didn't understand the appeal of singing about a girl called Maria at first, he relates it to his girlfriend, and she tells him that she can see, hear and _feel_ the difference (and rewards him with a quick kiss that makes his head spin).

Third time's a charm when they start practising their lines, and Finn knows it's not an accident that Rachel chooses the balcony scene where Tony and Maria declare their love for one another, and they only manage to read through it once before they become a little preoccupied on his bed (he'll never ever tire of touching her boobs).

**Glee!**

"I'm nervous," he says quietly, and Rachel holds his hand and squeezes it tightly while she nuzzles his shoulder.

"Don't be; you had my heart at your first line, and I know you're going to blow them away." She looks up at his smiling face and grins back, and he tells her that he loves her, and she returns the sentiment. "Good luck baby, I believe in you."

He sweeps her into a hug that knocks the breath from her, and he's known, right from day one, that she's always believed in him, and he believes in her too.

**A/N:** Again, reviews would be lovely, and asdfghjkl, I just really want Finn to play Tony


End file.
